Film dosage form with extended release mucoadhesive particles

Abstract

An orally administered dosage form that facilitates delivery of an agent locally in the buccal cavity for a sustained period of time includes mucoadhesive particles that are made of at least a mucoadhesive material combined with the agent, and which are dispersed in a disintegrating film. The dosage form is capable of delivering an agent to a patient at the desired oral mucosa site over an extended period of time while reducing patient discomfort or annoyance associated with conventional sustained release mucoadhesive films that must reside on the oral mucosa during the period of sustained release.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 910,604, filed Dec. 2, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]This disclosure relates generally to controlled release oral dosage forms, especially those oral dosage forms releasing an active agent for local delivery in the buccal cavity.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0003]Film dosage forms that provide extended release of an active agent have been known. Such film dosage forms are known to comprise at least two layers, which include at least one mucoadhesive layer to facilitate adhesion of the dosage form to mucosa for an extended period, and a layer that acts as a diffusion barrier that prevents or restricts loss of the active agent from the dosage form to saliva in the oral cavity and ultimately to the gastrointestinal tract. The active agent can be located in the mucoadhesive layer or in a third, reservoir layer between the m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The disclosed dosage forms facilitate controlled (e.g., sustained) release of an active agent for local delivery in the buccal cavity, and transport through oral mucosa, while avoiding the discomfort associated with long lasting mucoadhesive films or tablets that must typically reside on the oral mucosa during the period of controlled release. Controlled release of an active agent for local action in the buccal cavity in accordance with the disclosed dosage form is achieved by providing a dosage form in which mucoadhesive particles of a small size (e.g., from several nanometers to several micrometers), which contain the active agent, are dispersed in a disintegrating film. Upon administration in the oral cavity, the film disintegrates (e.g., within an acceptable period of time) and releases the mucoadhesive particles, some of which will contact the oral mucosa and immediately become tenaciously bound to the mucosa. The active agent can be released from the mucoadhesive particles over a prolonged period of time as the mucoadhesive material slowly dissolves or erodes.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, multiple layer film dosage forms for achieving sustained release of an active agent for local delivery in the buccal cavity can be difficult and expensive to produce.

Multiple-layer, sustained-release film oral dosage forms can also be annoying to some patients, as the film dosage form must be retained in the oral cavity for an extended period, all the while providing a palpable sensation that many patients find undesirable.